Reloading rifle 1st time

[Baer45]

After loading pistol ammo for a few years I am getting ready to load up some Sierra 175 gr match bullets for long range shooting and don't know what powder will flow best in my 550 powder feed? I had planned on Varget but was advised to find powder that would flow better. Any suggestions and/or tips are most apprecited. C

[Corey]

any ball/spherical powders is going to flow better in a conventional measure than will stick/extruded powders. Hodgdon's BL-C(2) should meter pretty well for you. H335 would be a second to look at. I do not load or shoot a 308 yet, but those are a couple options to explore.

[Baer45]

Thanks, I did take time to read other post.It seemed that all the powders that were most used were not ball powders...

[Corey]

were they all loaded on a progressive machine like a Dillon? A lot of 308 shooters load their ammo on a single stage press and can use a powder trickler to even up any off charges from the measure. or there is the option of a digital dispenser/scale combo in which case it doesnt matter what powder you use because it just dumps the granules out of a tube into the pan

[twodownzero]

I'm not sure what you consider long range shooting, but you won't find any winners at a major match using ball powder.

I use ball powder for blasting ammo and I'm very happy with it, but all of my mid and long range .308 uses Varget.

[RiggerJJ]

Varget works just fine if you get your powder dispenser working smoothly. I use a RCBS measure on a Dillon 650 and see max variances of +- .2 gn with Varget. My accuracy is great with Varget and the powder throw variances don't seem to be affecting it. I have seen the Dillon dispenser do the same wit Varget, but it has to be disassembled and polished.

BL-C2 wasn't my choice because of accuracy, YMMV.

Probably the most widely used powder with 308 is 4895, again, YMMV.

jj

[jmurch]

+1 on Varget with a similar setup as jj has. I use a Redding BR powder measure on a 550 with +- .1 gn.

Jeff

[steel1212]

If your loading blasting ammo just dump in some varget in the dillon powder measure and role. For me if I want the most accuracy out of a load I'll set my measure to be a few tenths low and trickle in the powder until I'm at what I want. If you want accuracy you need all the powder throws to be exact and I don't think a powder measure can be +/- 0 all the time. The dillon is pretty dang good but I think the trickler is better.

[Baer45]

I was hoping I could consistantly load sub moa ammo on the 550 for signigficant volume and time saving. Is this unreasonable to expect? I don't need one hole benchrest accuracy but do need to hit Targets out to 800 yds...Can I equal Black Hills ammo?

Thanks for the Varget info as that is the powder I hear the most about...C

[goat68]

Check the dillion tips post on how to maximize the consistency of your dillion powder thrower when loading Varget. After doing what they say there, you probalby need to do a batch and crono as you hold on target to check both group and velocity consistency. At 800 yds it will be harder to have good DOPE if your velocity is all over the place. If your gae will have lots of targets at distance (800), then you may be out of luck with the progressive loading. If there are only a few, then why not make some the hard way for the long range shots and use the progressive for the shorter range stuff?

[Mark K]

YMMV: I am new to reloading for long range, and did a decent amount of research. I decided to get a single stage press, hand prime, and trickle each load using an RCBS Chargemaster 1500.

I do have a Dillon 650 for most reloading (9mm, 40SW, 38SC, .223, and .300Whisper). IMHO, if you do not want to maximize your use of your 550, I would use the 550 to full length resize and prime the brass, then trickle 44.5gr of Varget powder for each case, and then seat the bullet with the 550.

One thing that only takes your time (you can do it while watching TV, etc)is to Uniform the primer pockets, deburr the flash hole, and chamfer the case mouth. Once you do this to the brass once, you will not have to do it again. You should get 5-6 reloads to a case, before the primer pocket gets too loose.

Just my opinion.

Mark K.

[Powder Finger]

I was hoping I could consistantly load sub moa ammo on the 550 for signigficant volume and time saving. Is this unreasonable to expect? I don't need one hole benchrest accuracy but do need to hit Targets out to 800 yds...Can I equal Black Hills ammo?

Thanks for the Varget info as that is the powder I hear the most about...C

IMO I don't think you can do that with the Current powder measure.

The way you probably can is to float all the dies. Get rid of the sizing die expander and use a mandrel in the next position.

Then as mentioned earlier run a Redding, or better yet spring for a Harrell powder measure.

Also run a good set of dies.

[Baer45]

This is all helpful. I have a ChargeMaster 1500 I can use although I will look into the Redding and Harell powder measure. I was hoping to be able to stick with a 550 or 1050 for all the chores but I can see where the powder has to be spot on so I will address it with one of the remedies you all suggest. On dies, are the Dillons sufficient? I have competition dies for most of my pistol loads but can't find they are much better then Dillons...

Another question this brings up: when I go to load 223/556 to shoot to 300/400 yds is the same advice going to apply?

Edited October 20, 2010 by Baer45

[Powder Finger]

This is all helpful. I have a ChargeMaster 1500 I can use although I will look into the Redding and Harell powder measure. I was hoping to be able to stick with a 550 or 1050 for all the chores but I can see where the powder has to be spot on so I will address it with one of the remedies you all suggest. On dies, are the Dillons sufficient? I have competition dies for most of my pistol loads but can't find they are much better then Dillons...

I would go with Redding bushing F/L sizing die. Followed with a Sinclair inside sizing mandrel. Then the powder station which will work easier with a Dillon conversion die(it fits on the current die top then the powder measure of choice on top of that).

Then a Redding or Forester micrometer seating die. The problem with the Dillon dies may not be accuracy as much as you really over size your brass.

For 500 yd + the easiest brass to use in 308 is Lapua. It's cost more so you don't want to wear it out in the dies.

Another question this brings up: when I go to load 223/556 to shoot to 300/400 yds is the same advice going to apply?

Not so much at this range, but if your using stick powder it will make life easier. Plus now you just get a 2nd tool head, .223 dies, and float them, switch the powder measure and load on.

The Harrell's measures are a little more dollars but settings are way more repeatable and once you run the handle well are probably more accurate.

[Baer45]

Ok! Thanks for the great advice. Somehow I feel another 1050 may be in the offering..............I like Harrels website and will report back as I get going and let you all know how I am doing. Thanks again for all of the input- C in Richmond

[Powder Finger]

I checked my Harrell's measure when i got home and the would have to be a modified adapter between the Dillon powder die and the measure.

It didn't look like too big of a deal. The Harrell's are not threaded and use a drop tube.

[Powder Finger]

Also Harrell's is cool to do business with, "there will be an invoice in the box, when you get it shoot me a check" is what he says.

[RH45]

Although I really like Varget, it's a PITA through any powder measure and I usually run it through my Chargemaster. I've been playing a little with Tac powder, which flows through a powder measure like water, and although I've had good accuracy with 155 grain bullets, and lighter, I haven't tried it with any heavier bullets--yet.

[jaredr]

i'm using imr 4064 for 168 hdy AMAX and getting about .6 - .7" groups @ 100 yards loading on a 650 out of a stock 20" barreled savage. still can't produce gun magazine photos of a 5 shot one hole group, but consistently sub-MOA @ 100 yards, and this is (so far) without trying any other projectiles. I get the hdy 168 gr AMAX very affordably, so it was my first try, may eventually try SMK's but i can't get access to a range greater than 100 yards without great effort, so what I've got right now is more then enough to let me work on position shooting without worrying that the rifle or the ammo is holding me back. charge is 43 grains, and I'm usually seeing a variance of +/- 0.3gr from the dillon powder measure. at 100 yards, that won't make a difference but perhaps it would at 500 (but at 500, i'd still be the biggest limiting factor). For dies, I am using redding micrometer seating die and type s neck size bushing (keeping brass segregated, so I don't full-length resize for this rifle).

as others have noted, you may find more consistent powder drops with a ball powder, but it's unlikely that you'll get the accuracy you want. I initially started out loading with AA2230 because I had a ton of it, and there was published load data. It worked, but never better then 1.25" groups. moving to a stick powder cut that in half, even with the variance I am seeing from the dillon powder measure.

edited to add: thanks for heads up re: harrels powder measure, i'll check it out.

Edited October 24, 2010 by jaredr

[ShooterSteve]

I am currently reloading rifle, (and I mean right now-I'm taking a little break) -using a 650 and varget. Varget will flow just fine if you polish up your internals on the powder bar. One thing is important about your question on 223. If you load varget and lighter bullets, the case will be so full that a little powder will slosh out during the turning of the shell plate. Even if you go sloooowww and smooooth, it will still toss a couple little sticks out due to fullness. If the varget gets into your primer feeds, it will lock everything up solid, and you have to take it all apart to get out 2 or 3 little sticks of powder. This is a total PIA. Note that I am using 50gr Hornady Vmax bullets. The load range is 26.5-27.5 gr which fills the case up so full that you can't help but slosh it out. This is the total load range from Hodgdon, not the "if my charge is in this area I'm good with it range". I know this weight bullet is at the very end of the varget range, and is not the best powder for this bullet, but I have a bunch of it and wanted to use it. I am getting ready to run out and buy a couple cans of H335, and switch over. I have shot a ton of H335 in my 223 and it does great. The volume of powder will be less in the case, and hopefully I won't have this same problem out of it. I think if I was using a larger bullet with a smaller charge, like a 69gr for example, I wouldn't be having this problem as the case would not be so full. A simple couple grain reductions would seem to make a big difference. So to sum all this up, Varget will flow just fine, but it may not be "800 yd match perfect" with your dillon measure. But SAVE yourself a headache and don't use it for 50-55gr bullets.